Uses

Editor and AI

The core of my day-to-day workflow.

• VS Code with the Claude extension

  Claude Code running as a VS Code extension, connected directly to the Anthropic API. Gives me more per dollar than any subscription-based editor tool I have tried.

• Claude desktop app

  For longer conversations that are not tied to a specific codebase. Planning, research, writing.

• A second agent as an explainer

  When the main agent builds something using a pattern I do not recognise, I pause and ask the explainer. I do not ship code I do not understand.

Web stack

• Next.js

  App router, server components, built-in routing and image handling. The framework I reach for first.

• TypeScript

  Non-negotiable. Catches the class of bugs I would otherwise fix at 2am.

• Tailwind CSS

  Consistent visual system without fighting a CSS framework. Moves fast, scales cleanly.

• Framer Motion

  For the small UI animations that make the difference between a site that feels alive and one that does not.

Mobile stack

• Expo and React Native

  Write once, ship to iOS and Android. Not a perfect abstraction but the right trade-off when backend and business logic are shared with a web platform.

• RevenueCat

  Subscriptions on both app stores without building payment infrastructure twice.

Backend and data

• Supabase

  Managed Postgres, auth, storage, realtime, and edge functions. Removes the need for a separate backend for most projects.

• Postgres with Row Level Security

  Database-level authorisation that catches what application code might miss. I wrote about this in detail.

• Stripe

  Payments on the web side. Reliable, well-documented, handles the parts I do not want to build.

• Upstash Redis

  For caching and rate limiting. Simple, serverless, pay-per-use.

• Resend

  Transactional email. Clean API, works with my domains, no SMTP headaches.

Hosting and ops

• Vercel

  Deploys, preview environments, edge functions, analytics. Matches Next.js perfectly.

• Sentry

  Error monitoring across web and mobile. The platform that tells me what broke before a user has to.

• GitHub

  Source control for everything. Private repos for the live products, public for the open experiments.

Hardware

• Windows desktop with a proper keyboard and dual monitors

  I work long hours. Investing in a workspace that does not hurt is a quiet multiplier.

• iPhone and an Android phone

  Building for both platforms means testing on both platforms. A simulator is not enough.

• A physical notebook

  For the aha moments that happen away from the keyboard. Writing things down in ink forces clarity.